The 2011 University Holiday Schedule has been amended to extend the winter holiday through Monday, Jan. 2, 2012.

“I ask all managers and supervisors to make a special effort to communicate this change to their employees, including any employees who may already be out on approved leave,” expressed Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. in a memorandum to university personnel dated Dec. 19.

Eight hours per day should be charged to compensatory time, vacation, or bonus leave for Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, and Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. Employees should indicate these hours via Web Time Entry or Leave Reporting in Banner Self-Service.

The university will reopen for normal business on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.

So that supervisors may govern their units accordingly, the policy on Premium Pay for Holidays can be found on the Office of State Personnel's website. The amended 2011 University Holiday Schedule will remain accessible on the Division of Human Resources’ website throughout the year. Contact Human Resources at 336-334-7862 if you have questions.

North Carolina A&T State University has been awarded a $200,000 grant to design and test an innovative device for spinal fusion operations.

The university’s Engineering Research Center (ERC) received the two-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation. The ERC will identify the appropriate magnesium alloy and create the device. Testing will be conducted by OrthoKinetic Technologies, a specialized research firm that provides consulting and testing for the manufacturers of medical devices. Throughout the process, a third partner, Southeast TechInventures Inc. will assist in translating the new technology to commercial applications.

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure in which back pain caused by disc degeneration, trauma, deformity, or other problems is relieved by permanently connecting vertebrae to each other by means of a bone graft. The ERC will develop a magnesium-alloy cage to hold the bone graft in place while the vertebrae heal. After the healing is complete, the cage will degrade and be replaced by the patient’s own bone.

“This testing will be a major step forward in our development of biocompatible, biodegradable medical implants,” said Dr. Jagannathan Sankar, distinguished university professor of mechanical engineering and director of the ERC. “Although the testing and approval process is quite long for this type of device, ultimately it will result in a safe and effective way to make spinal fusion more effective and less difficult for the patient.”

The ERC’s mission is to produce revolutionary metallic materials and implantable medical devices for reconstruction and regeneration of bones and other body parts. As part of this effort, it is developing screws, plates, wires and other devices made of biocompatible, biodegradable magnesium alloys. Such devices could be used in orthopedic, cranio-facial and cardiovascular applications. When they have served their purpose, they could be signaled to degrade and pass out of the body at a controlled rate, alleviating the need for additional surgery to remove them.

A&T is the lead institution on the ERC team that includes the University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati and Hannover Medical School in Germany. The ERC is funded by the National Science Foundation, originally for five years and $18.5 million. Funding received to date totals more than $15 million.

North Carolina A&T State University has received a clean audit for fiscal year 2011.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce that the audit of the university’s 2010 -11 internal controls, and financial records and systems has concluded, and that the audit report contained no findings, no exceptions and no recommendations for financial statement adjustments,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “This represents a clean audit of the university’s records for the fiscal year ended
June 30.”

The Office of the State Auditor performs an audit every year. The 2010-11 audit was completed Dec. 14, when OSA representatives conducted their exit conference with N.C. A&T and UNC General Administration officials.

Martin said that the clean audit is the result of hard and dedicated work by A&T’s employees.

“I want to personally thank (employees) for your continuing support and commitment to financial integrity and the leadership of Vice Chancellor Robert Pompey and his team and staff,” said Martin.